The “New Economy”

Lately, so much of what we’ve been hearing about the economy has been daunting.  It can give a person a feeling of helplessness.  It’s not that I don’t care about the big 3 carmarkers going under, the millions of people who have lost their jobs, big businessess going under, or the number of foreclosed homes that keep raising, but what “grinds my gears” is the way it’s being reported.  If you pay attention to the way news is reported you will notice that the media tends to focus on the negative.  If often gives very little in the way of facts but provides lots of opinion.  Why is it so difficult for the media to balance it’s reporting with solutions and strategies to get through these tough economic times?  Though most of us have our theories, we’ll likely never know the full answer to that question.  What I do know, however, is that if one third of what they report on focuses on solutions, I gaurantee, it will not only change consumer confidence but the economy will “fix” itself.

The daunting news is going to continue with even grimmer speculations for the first half of 2009.  The question is, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to continue allowing all of the negative reporting to determine the faith of your life, or are you going to take control by rejecting the belief that all is grim and focusing on some sure-fire solutions to help you and your family get through the tough times?

From my analysis, if you’re not in the top 3 % of the population in terms of wealth, your economic livelihood is doomed because it is directly tied to the “bad” economy.   To some extent that is true, we can’t deny the fact that many of us work for someone else for a living and if your company is impacted by the economy there’s a great chance you will not have a job, therefore, affecting your economic condition.   However,  your economic condition isn’t just tied to your employment, it is greater than that.  It is your ability, capacity, skills and talents that you can capitalize on to develop a new approach to your economic survival.    Once you understand that you are not limited by your employment status, you can take control of your life by limiting your dependence on the economy.

The “New Economy” is an economy that is driven by  your individual choice,  a shift in prespective and development of sustainable resources.  It means changing the way you are currently living your life from the types of goods and products you consume, to the food you eat and the types of activities in which you engage.  It may mean limiting your consumption which will decrease your spending, and investing in  quality resources that yield high sustainable returns.  No, I’m not talking about traditional investments such as stocks, bonds, CDs, etc.  I’m talking about people.  Yes, believe it or not your friends, family, associates are quality resources.  You can harness their time, skills, expertise, strengths to develop systems that are mutually beneficial and highly sustainable to your quality of life.

The “New Economy” means less focus on money and more focus on human potential and human connection.  Sound far fetched to you?  Well, consider this.  All across the USA there are people  living in communities that are almost completely independent of the economy.  They do not consume foods that are mass produced and instead grow their own food.  Their homes are powered by solar energy.  They live amongst other peopole that support their other phsyiological needs such as social interaction and acceptance.  Now sure this may sound a bit extreme for most, but it’s a great example of how we have the ability to control how much of an impact the economy has on our lives.

The “New Economy” means your choice between meeting a need or fullfilling a want.  It means changing your perception of what’s important.   Ask yourself, is that $50,000 car a need, or a desire? especially if you can only afford a $20,000 car.   Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with giving in to your desires every once in a while.  Our desires make us human.  But to thrive and not just survive in these times requires smart decision-making and perhaps the temporary sacrifice of a dream/desire.

In this “New Economy” the measure of success isn’t about your financial status, or fame.  It is about your economic literacy and knowledge of creating effective systems that have a positive and wide-range impact on other’s lives.  It is about changing your relationship with money by understanding it’s true purpose, an instrument use for exchange of goods, services, products, not the measurement of success.

The New Economy is offered as a workshop.  Contact me for more details at info@indigocoachingsystems.com.

The “Bad” Economy: Where’s the Good News?

Everyday the news reports on what’s wrong with the American economy.  Whether it is about the stock market crashing,  the housing market plummeting, large financial institutions such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Merrill Lynch going under, consumer confidence being low, or unemployment increasing, the news is letting us know how bad things are for the American people.  

I can’t help to feel discourage when I listen to all that’s wrong with the economy.  There is an internal conflict that goes on every time I hear how crappy things are.  The struggle goes something like this.  The monologue from my conscious, logical and rational self says: well Deborah, things are gettting worst and there isn’t anything you can do about it.  It is bigger than you, you might as well accept the enevitable and start changing your course of action.  No need for hope or optimism, the economy is what it is and there’s nothing you can do that will make it better.  However, contrary to my conscious self, my spiritual self vehemently refutes this and label it as noise.  It refuses to allow me to give in and just accept the way things are.  Actually, it doesn’t allow me to hold on to this thinking for more than a minute.  My spiritual self keeps reminding me that there is always hope, there is always another alternative, and there are choices.

So I ask what choice does a person has who is either facing foreclosure, has no retirement, no health insurance for a sick love one, or no money to feed, cloth and keep a roof over their children’s head?  How do you convince them that they are choices, alternatives, or even opportunities, especially when they are in the mist of a crisis?  I may not have the right answer, but there is something to say about a person’s will to survice, a person’s faith in something bigger and more powerful than themself, something that goes beyond their own rational thought and reason, something that can transform systems and people, something that perform miracles when they need them the most.

And that is what we do in times of dier need and despair, we keep the faith, we create our own good news and we look for the smallest blessings in our lives and be grateful for them.  We look for guidance from within and don’t put much emphasis on the Bad News that keeps bombarding us.  And if we are the victims of such bad news, we look for the one small good that is in it.  Whatever we do, we don’t give in and we don’t give up.  We hear stories of people defying the odds, people that have survived horrible situations.  The two common elements in these stories are they never gave up, or a miracle happened.  You know, it blows my mind everytime when I hear there are survivors of a plane crash.  The only explanation in my mind is a miracle. 

It’s okay to feel discourage, even hopeless, but we shouldn’t give in to these feelings and allow them to control our actions.  We can begin to make better choices with the little resources we have and begin to tap our creativity for new ways for living a better life.

The current economy is a living nightmare for some of us, but we can control some aspect of that nightmare by making better choices everyday.  We can eat out less, find natural health remedies for our sick love one, spend less on entertainment outside of the house and introduce some of our childhood games to our children.  Read more, watch less television, turn off the light when we leave the room, drink more water instead of fruit juices and sodas, buy in bluk, open up a window instead of turning on the AC, or cook more meals at home. 

You may say, this is a simplistic approach to complex problems and I may even agree.  I’m not saying this will change the economy or your situation now, but it gives you choices, however minute they are, which may place you in a stronger financial position in the long-run.  

So have I taken some of my own advice?  Yes, my husband and I agreed to eat out as a family only once a week, and he is now taking breakfast and lunch at least three times a week to work.  We’ve cut at least $70 off our weekly expenses, which amounts to $3640 per year.  We are taking a prevention approach to our health and is undergoing a natural cleansing for 30 days.  We are also reading more with our son and finding creative ways for us to have fun as a family without spending lots of money.  We buy what we need and reward ourselves accordingly.  We are simplifying our life in drastic ways, resulting in less dependency on the economy and less burden on our planet.

And even with feelings of discouragement when I hear all this bad stuff at times, my faith lives on and I create my own Good news.

I would love to hear how you are couping with the “bad” economy, post your comments here: